7 Habits: Habit 2 – Start with the end in mind

In Habit 2 we discover the importance of knowing what we want the outcomes of our interactions with others to be. There is no point investing time and emotional energy if we don't know what we want to get out of the situation.

This article is still really popular even though the product hasn’t been updated for quite some time – I guess people are still looking for a cheaper alternative to Fitbits!

Review: iBody Activity and Sleep Tracker

UPDATE: March 2017 It appears that the iBody website is no longer working, as a result the iBody device and app won’t sync properly. I’ve removed the links to the product in this post as I now class it as non-functioning or maintained. I’ve left the links to the website and app as I’m hoping […]

Compromise is important in any walk of life and you’re still eager to know how you can find a win/win compromise so that everyone gets what they want.

7 Habits: Habit 4 – Think Win/Win

Habit 4 of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is all about achieving a mutually acceptable compromise with the person you're dealing with so you both feel that you have achieved your ideal outcome.

This article is a round-up of 3 of the most popular downloads for that Happy Planner that we’ve produced (you can see their individual popularity later!). The Happy Planner community is going from strength to strength so keep an eye out for more great downloads in the future.

Free Download: April, May, June Happy Planner Dividers & Inserts

I've just got a Happy Planner... but it doesn't start until July. WHAT? Here's some free downloads so you can start using your planner straight away. There are 3 months available, each including a divider, "this month" page and left/right pages.

A Kanban system has to be one of the simplest organisational systems to set up and lends itself to both an electronic system and something as easy as a sheet of paper and a few post-it notes.

How To: Use A Personal Kanban Board

Kanban isn't a new method for managing your to-do lists, but it's certainly kept itself quite in terms of personal productivity. In this post I look at how to use Kanban Boards to manage your to-do lists and keep track of your important tasks.

My “Killer” GTD setup

If you're looking to organise all of your tasks in a single place then you can't go far wrong with a pocket sized notebook, In this article I look at how I organise a range of tasks across my daily life and sort them into contexts so you can plan out your various actions in a meaningful and productive way

It’s all well and good learning a new skill or technique, but it’s important that we keep honing that skill. In another article in the 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Series series we look at the importance of keeping on top of your skill set.

The pomodoro techniques is a great tool for getting your tasks organised into managable chunks. You’re obviously interested in tracking your pomodoro time on paper as this is the second most popular post of 2017, moving up from 5th place last year!

FlipPomodoro: Free Pomodoro Printable Planner

Following on from Monday's post, I've put together a free downloadable planner for you to manage your Pomodoro task and time tracking. Click through to read how to use the free FlipPomodoro Planner

Still the most popular post on the website since it was written back in 2008! I guess it’s popularity highlights the importance of listening to others before we judge them or place our own values on them.

7 Habits – Habit 5: Seek first to understand then to be understood

Habit 5 looks at seeing things from someone else's perspective. If we are to be able to have a meaningful conversation with someone we first need to understand their needs and frame of reference - only then can we achieve a Win/Win outcome.

Top Downloads Of 2017

In the past year we’ve changed the way that downloads are stored on the website and this means we can now track reasonably accurately what’s been downloaded over the past 12 months. So, in reverse order as I like to build suspense, here are the files you downloaded the most in 2017!

There was (unsurprisingly) a late surge of Christmas themed downloads this year and the first on the list is the most recent addition to the downloads section, a Christmas Present Tracker which helps you keep a list of who sent you what so you can send your letters of thanks.

Christmas A5 & Happy Planner: Christmas Present Tracker

It's getting to the time of year when the pre-Christmas sales are starting and we're beginning to get organised for Christmas. This means sorting out what presents you're buying for everyone, where you're getting them from and tracking whether you have bought and wrapped them.

Keep track of who you need to send Christmas Cards to – and mark off if you have received one in return with this handy Christmas Card list.

Christmas A5 & Happy Planner: Christmas Card List

If you're trying to get organised for Christmas then one of the tasks you'll need to get started on sooner rather than later is your Christmas Card list. Posting dates seem to be getting more and more in advance so you'll want to think about sending your cards soon - especially if they have to go abroad.

Trying to remember all of the different types of food you need to buy for Christmas and the New Year can be a little daunting and it looks like a lot of you wanted to get super-organised food-wise putting this ultimate Christmas food shopping list at Number 8 on the list.

Christmas Food Planner

Take the stress out of organising your Christmas menu with this handy food planner. It lists all of the staples you'll want to buy for the festive period with space to add your own items too.

I was really pleased with how this themed cover turned out. It originally started as a little personal project that I decided to share as a download so I’m happy that so many people are enjoying it as much as I have.

Harry Potter Happy Planner Cover / A5 Dashboard

This Happy Planner Cover can be resized to make a great Happy Planner dashboard or A5 Planner Dashboard. Perfect for any Harry Potter Fan you can manage your own mischief in your MAMBU Happy Planner or A5 Filofax or Planner There are 3 files in the download: – "Mischief Managed" Cover –Footsteps Inner (or Back Cover) –"I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good (Inner or Cover)

You might wonder why the same download is appearing twice on this list. The article listed above tells you how to use the stickers and this page lets you download them – which explains why this download is so popular!

Sticker Set 001 – Household Chores, Finances and Games

This sticker set is perfect for any planner type. It will print on A4 or Letter labels (and has a gap to allow for printing on 2x A5 labels also). The set includes stickers to remind you to clean, do laundry, take your kids to sports (or watch a game yourself), pay day, accounts and much more!

This is a festive themed thin to-do list which you can print-out use on its own to keep you Christmas notes organised or you can punch it and put it in your binder.

Christmas A5 & Classic Happy Planner Sized To-Do List

This Christmas themed to-do list is perfect to note down all the little tasks you need to accomplish over the festive period. Formatted for both left and right pages, there's plenty of room to get your decoration, cooking and present to-dos down so you don't forget anything important.

One of the more recent additions to the downloads section, the 7 Habits Worksheet allows you to go through each of the habits and take a look at how you’re implementing them and what you could improve on. I’m really happy with how this turned out as it’s the first time I’ve put together a download of this type and I learned a lot during the process.

Christmas A5 & Classic Happy Planner Sized To-Do List

This Christmas themed to-do list is perfect to note down all the little tasks you need to accomplish over the festive period. Formatted for both left and right pages, there's plenty of room to get your decoration, cooking and present to-dos down so you don't forget anything important.

In the same position as it’s informational counterpart, the Pomodoro Time Tracker is obviously a firm favourite with Flipping Heck readers!

Christmas A5 & Classic Happy Planner Sized To-Do List

This Christmas themed to-do list is perfect to note down all the little tasks you need to accomplish over the festive period. Formatted for both left and right pages, there's plenty of room to get your decoration, cooking and present to-dos down so you don't forget anything important.

I’m thrilled that this download has made the top-spot on the downloads list. I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into writing what is probably the longest article on the website. I made the decision to offer it as a download so that people could read it whenever and wherever they liked and it looks like that was a great choice!

How To Bullet Journal: The Ultimate Guide To Getting Started

You may have heard of the organisational technique called "Bullet Journaling" as a way to get your to-dos, calendars and someday/maybe lists under controls. If you'd like to start bullet journaling but don't know where to begin then this guide covers all the basics from what you can use a bullet journal for and terminology to equipment you need

As everyone is so interested in the Pomodoro technique, it seems only right to share “The Ulitmate Guide To The Pomodoro Technique” which tells you what the Pomodoro Technique is, how it can make you more productive and different ways of tracking your progress.

The original articles were written back in 2008 so I revisited them in 2015 to update them with how I was getting on and further insights into the methods. It’s a shame the revised version doesn’t get as much attention as the original files so please check it out.

This article was a bit polarising – I had several emails complimenting me on voicing what people thought and others were a bit disappointed that I’d tar an entire generation with the same brush. I’d like you to take a read of the article and contact me with your thoughts – was I too harsh on the Millenial generation or if rang true.

Thank You!

I’d like to say a big “Thank You” to all my guest authors over the past year. I think having a variety of different voices helps bring a wider range of information to you all with a lot of different perspectives that I couldn’t offer on my own. I hope you’ve enjoyed the guest contributions and if you’re interested in writing for us please check out the Guest Posting Guidelines – you don’t even have to be an experienced writer, you just need to have something to say!

I’d also like to say thank you to all of you who read the blog, subscribe the the newsletter and check out our social media. We’ve seen a good amount of growth in audience over the past 12 months and I’d like to keep the upward trend going so we can get some useful interaction going bewteen us all.

What’s Coming In 2018

In 2018 we’ll continue to have a wide variety of guest authors covering all sorts of interesting topics. As more people are looking to diversify their income streams, or quit their traditional jobs we’ll also be having an additional focus on entreprenuership, online business and blogging (you may have seen some of these topics cropping up already).

I’ll also be looking at publishing more longer-format content with associated downloads and workbooks.

As always, if there’s something that you’re struggling with, want clarifying or can’t find information on anywhere else please drop us and email and we’ll do our best to help whether that be in the form of a reply just for you, or a reply and an expansion of your question in a website article.

Remember, we’re here to help you become more productive!

I hope you have a fantastic New Year and that 2018 is Happy and Productive for you and your family.